US EditionWatchdog group files Hatch Act complaint over federal agencies blaming Democrats for shutdown
- On October 2, 2025, several federal agencies posted online messages blaming Senate Democrats for a government shutdown caused by blocking bill H.R. 5371.
- Members of the House Oversight Committee’s Democratic caucus have called for an inquiry into whether certain messages violated the 1939 Hatch Act, which limits political activities by federal employees.
- Departments like Housing and Urban Development and the Small Business Administration displayed banners or emails accusing Democrats, while Republicans defended the messaging as nonviolation since it did not reference elections.
- Ethics expert Kathleen Clark criticized the partisan use of taxpayer-funded sites, while watchdog Donald Sherman called the messages 'wildly inappropriate' but related to policy, not elections.
- The dispute highlights ongoing disagreements about Hatch Act enforcement during the shutdown, which blocks $170 million daily to 320 small businesses, and may affect future government accountability measures.
191 Articles
191 Articles
The Oregonian
Penn LiveHave federal agencies violated the Hatch Act by blaming Democrats for the shutdown?
Experts disagree on whether the Democrat-blaming language on the website of HUD and other government agencies violates the 1939 act that restricts certain political activities by federal employees.
Associated Press News
AP reader question: Have agencies violated the Hatch Act by using Democrat-blaming language online?
Here’s a question submitted by an Associated Press reader: Have agencies violated the Hatch Act by using Democrat-blaming language online in discussing the shutdown?
Trump Administration Stomps All Over The Hatch Act With Shutdown Website Banners And Away Messages
The Hatch Act of 1939 is a beautiful piece of legislation. It disallows all kinds of things, like bribing voters with jobs to vote a certain way, as well as limiting any campaign activity by federal workers. Another thing it does is to prohibit partisan political activity in the course of a staff member's federal…
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